A Faceless Killer
by MeltedCrayons
Summary: When Kunoichi begin to vanish in Konoha, will anyone be able to get to the bottom of the disappearances before it’s too late...?
1. The Bar

The Faceless Killer

Summary- When Kunoichi begin to vanish in Konoha, will anyone be able to get to the bottom of the disappearances before it's too late…?

Disclaimer- Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

Rating- this chapter is T, but further chapters will most definitely be M

AN- The story takes place after the Sasuke retrieval arc. The rookie nine are older than 15, but still underage: I still haven't decided exactly. Kokoro Jūjun is a civilian OC. Ch.1: The Bar

---

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Ino-chan? We could always just go see a movie…"

"I thought you said you were bored and that there was _nothing fun_ to do anymore, Jū-chan. We won't be caught, so don't worry." Ino gave her friend a persuasive smile. Jūjun rolled her eyes and tried to look inconspicuous as she followed her blonde friend into the bar. From the casual way Ino strutted in, if Jūjun hadn't known any better, she would have thought Ino spent nights at bars on a regular basis. She eyed Ino slide herself next to an attractive guy at the counter and order some drink she had never heard of before.

_If I were a trained ninja, would I have that kind of confidence?_ Jūjun enviously had a hunch Ino would be the same even if she didn't have special training. She shook her head and took the empty seat on the other side of Ino, next to a middle-aged man with a bald spot and a round stomach visible through the folds of his shirt. Jūjun glared at the side of her friend's face before eyeing the hottie two seats away. She could almost see Ino smirking into her drink. _You snooze, you loose, Princess._

"And what would you like tonight, miss?" "Sake please." It was the only alcoholic drink she could think of off the top of her head. The bartender squinted at her face for a minute before turning away to get her drink.

"Having fun yet?" Ino smirked as Jūjun tried not to gag on her first sip of the warm, bitter alcohol. "Of course I am," She replied, motioning with her head to the middle-aged man next to her. Ino rolled her eyes and lowered her voice, "Just be patient. I picked this bar because the most attractive men supposedly come here." Her eyes shifted to the young man sitting on her other side, who was now checking her out with his peripheral vision. She smiled coyly before taking another sip of her drink, pretending she hadn't seen. Jūjun shook her head. "If the other ones don't show up in about twenty minutes, I'm leaving."

By the time twenty minutes had passed, the warm effects of the alcohol had successfully soaked through Jūjun, making her irritability melt away like wax. Ino had successfully begun to flirt with the attractive man (Takeshi, 23, Pisces, blood type A) and the old man sitting to her right finally paid, got up, and left.

"Halleluiah." Jūjun sighed and turned her attention back to the other two.

Jūjun had always been somewhat fascinated by Ino. When they had met as kids, she had always admired Ino for her sense of style and outgoing attitude. Over the years, she had grown up, matured, and still managed to have the attitude along with an attractiveness that was beneficial in situations such as these where Ino could pass as a legal-age young woman. Though the latter was hard to tell for sure: Jūjun suspected the age thing might have been a result of the clothes they were wearing.

For their night out, Ino let her borrow some of the clothes she had hidden in the back of her closet, saved for just the occasion. When she first tried on the skirt Ino handed her, she had been uncomfterble, but now she felt as powerful as Ino looked. Not mention it was a fairly warm night, and a breeze felt pretty damn nice.

When Ino first suggested a bar, Jūjun had been firmly against it. Her friend had been a little off ever since her sensei had been killed. Sarutobi Asuma, wasn't it? She vaguely remembered meeting him a few times.

But when he died, it was like something in Ino died along with him; a piece of her common sense or something else vital. Not that she was the only guilty one. Her other teammate, Nara-san, had taken out his frustrations and grief with smoking. That, however, Jūjun could link with the loss of Asuma, because he had been a heavy smoker. Ino on the other hand, no longer seemed to care about self-preservation.

Sneaking out, bars, clubbing, and doing other underage, illegal things only scratched the surface. A few times by accident, she had seen Ino hanging around with men. Not that she was a slut or anything, as far as Jūjun had seen. Ino only played with them, doing everything possible without actually _doing it_ before seemingly loosing interest; leaving the men confounded, half-naked, staring after her, _pleading_ for her to come back.

Ino did crazy things. Maybe it was just a phase. Jūjun shook her head, watching in fascination, as the room wobbled afterwards like an aftershock.

Well it wasn't really her business. Jūjun figured the best way to help her friend was to go along with her crusades and make sure she didn't get into too much trouble. Besides, it looked like Ino was having a normal good time with Takeshi. She needed some healthy fun. Maybe Takeshi would be someone Ino could have a real relationship with?

As the bartender refilled her cup again, someone filled the vacant seat the old man had occupied not to long ago. The man was checking her out, causing warmth separate from the sake to seep across her cheeks. _Speaking of relationships…I could see myself marrying him_. Before Jūjun could think of a conversation starter, he was already chatting away. She smiled coyly, noticing Ino glance over.

Was she jealous?

Jūjun couldn't remember the last time she had such an interesting conversation with a guy. And he kept turning the conversation to her, like he was genuinely interested in her life. He was considerate. And, she noticed vaguely during her fourth cup of sake, better looking than Takeshi.

"So, are you a kunoichi or something, I noticed your friend has a hitae-ate." A slow, sexy smile played across his lips. Jūjun couldn't hold back a giggle. "No, are you?" The man let out a laugh at her joke. "Of course I am." His eyes slid from hers for a moment, but then he leaned in close, their noses almost touching. "Would you like to dance?"

If Jūjun had been in her right state of mind, she would have been very aware of the fact she wouldn't be able to balance properly, let alone dance. She also would have been able to remember when she ended up switching dance partners. Or remember just how long she stayed out there, dancing. Before she had time to blink, it seemed, the floor was half empty, and most of the people had already left.

Dancing, time, or some other factor seemed to sober her up a little. She realized that neither Ino nor the man she had been sitting with earlier were there. Takeshi, however, was still sitting on his stool with his shoulders slumping slightly. She grabbed his shoulder for balance.

"Have you seen Ino? The blonde I came in with?"

Takeshi raised his head, his slightly bloodshot eyes fought to focus. "Yeah, that bitch left with the asshole you were chatting with about two three hours ago. She said that I should tell you to go home." He let out a loud mirthless laugh as Jūjun wobbled out of the bar and into the warm night, feeling betrayed.

What right did Ino have to leave her alone at a place like that, dancing around drunk with legal-aged strangers just so she could play around with guys again? And if that weren't enough, Ino stole the guy _she_ had been flirting with. She had Takeshi for God's sake, why couldn't she ever be satisfied with what she had? Some friend she was.

Jūjun's face felt wet in the warm night wind. She stumbled home, climbing inside through her bedroom window silently, because she had told her mother she was sleeping over at Botan's. She collapsed on her futon, and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

---

For some odd reason, the man Jūjun kept flirting with bothered Ino. She couldn't place what it was exactly; there was just something _off_ about him. Ino settled with watching over her friend as long as the guy kept his hands to himself.

But her gut instinct was quickly replaced with a sense of real danger as he cast the genjutsu on her friend. It was very subtle. Very smooth. Almost invisible, in fact, Ino would never have caught it if he hadn't pointedly made eye contact with her the moment he cast it. Jūjun, a dreamy smile plastered across her face, staggered alone to the dance floor, and began dancing by herself. The other couples got a laugh at the visibly inebriated young woman making a fool of herself amongst the mass of moving bodies. Takeshi nudged Ino, turning her attention back to him, "Hey, is your friend alright?" "Yes, I think she just had a little too much to drink," Ino laughed casually. Takeshi smiled, taking another sip of his beer.

"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?" It took almost all of the self-control Ino had to keep from flinching. Without a sound, the man had moving into Jūjun's recently vacant seat, cornering her. "I don't think so." Ino pointedly turned back to Takeshi, who was now glaring over her shoulder. "Whoever you are, why don't you dance with Jūjun-san? She might hurt herself dancing in her state." His voice plainly read 'back off she's mine.' Ino smiled at Takeshi before looking calmly back at the other man. His voice was so low she almost didn't catch it. "It's your choice, have a chat with me outside, or I will do the same to Takeshi-san as I did to Jū-chan. Or worse." Then he got up and walked outside.

Anger flared up inside Ino. She would teach this imbecile a lesson he would never forget. Did he really think he could mess around with this kunoichi? She was going to kick his ass. Ino snorted indignantly, then slid off of her stool. Takeshi looked at her questioningly. "I just remembered who that guy was; I need to give him a message." Ino grabbed her purse, and smiled at Takeshi, who was about to get up and follow her.

"Should I come with you?"

"No. Stay here, I'll be back in five minutes. If Jūjun comes back while I'm gone, will you tell her to go home for me? She's had more than enough fun for tonight, don't you think?" They exchanged knowing smirks.

But when Ino stepped out into the street, no one was waiting for her. A scowl crept its way onto her face and she swore under her breath. If she ever saw that son of bitch again, she would give him a beating he would never forget. Nobody ruins a Yamanaka's night out.

Nobody was waiting for her, hidden out of sight on the roof, chakra suppressed. He scanned the street, crouched, and pounced.


	2. Something Amiss

The Faceless Killer

Summary- When Kunoichi begin to vanish in Konoha, will anyone be able to get to the bottom of the disappearances before it's too late…?

Disclaimer- Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

Rating- this chapter is T, but further chapters will most definitely be M

AN- The story takes place after the Sasuke retrieval arc. The rookie nine are older than 15, but still underage: I still haven't decided exactly. Kokoro Jūjun is a civilian OC. Ch.2: Something Amiss

---

"How troublesome," Shikamaru grumbled incoherently for the umpteenth time to no one in particular.

"Should we go look for her? We were supposed to start an hour ago," Chouji said, shifting his pack to the other meaty shoulder, a line forming between his brows.

Shikamaru weighed his options carefully like the strategist he was. On one hand, he was fed up with waiting for his blonde, highly opinionated teammate, and was thirty seconds from (leisurely) marching straight out of Konoha with Chouji to get started on their mission. It was a D rank after all; it wasn't as if they needed Ino on a mission normally assigned to genin. Also, he couldn't deny that a four-day break from Ino sounded particularly enticing and potentially un-troublesome; she had become increasingly unbearable recently, always arguing and making things much more difficult then they needed to be. He could handle her wrath when they returned-if she was even angry for being left behind.

This led to the other option. They could hunt Ino down, which could take anywhere from half an hour (she merely overslept) to three weeks (she was hiding intentionally). In any case she could be highly irritable…

Shikamaru leaned back against a large wooden gate at the entrance of Konoha, his hands shoved into his pockets, and scowled up at the sparse clouds. Their team had been receiving a ridiculous amount of C and D rank missions, partly because of their lack of a permanent jounin sensei, and, though neither he nor his teammates would ever admit to it, to keep themselves busy in order to take their minds off of Asuma.

"Let's go Chouji. We can check up on Ino when we get back," Shikamaru took a long-suffering breath and hauled his full weight back to his feet. Chouji hovered by the entrance still, looking back unconvinced.

"It's only a D rank mission. I don't blame Ino for not showing up. I wouldn't have come myself if I didn't have to face my mother's wrath." A shadow passed over Chouji's face as he remembered the last time he encountered Mrs. Nara in a foul mood. He shook his head, finally persuaded, and stepped out of Konoha's walls.

---

When the two young men returned to the gates of Konoha four days later, they were not worried.

Nor were they worried the next day, when they decided to blow off training. Shikamaru went to his favorite haunt to sit and watch the clouds and their ever-changing milky shapes. Chouji scoped out the new barbeque restaurant for lunch. Then he went to visit his aunt at the hospital before going out for ramen. He had been much hungrier lately than he had ever been before.

This behavior had become routine without anyone taking the time to realize it. Shikamaru and Chouji would take an increasing quantity of R&R off by themselves, while Ino went off and did god knows what.

It wasn't like they had a sensei to scold and whip them back into a controlled daily training regimen.

It wasn't like they had anything more to talk about when they were together.

---

A week passed like always. Shikamaru, as the team leader, became restless; he would sometimes wake up in a sweat at night, his shadow twisting and writhing with unused chakra.

No matter how troublesome it was, every once in a while the three teammates needed to train together to at least maintain their current skill level. Even the most talented, seasoned shinobi will become rusty if they take too long of a break without flexing their muscles. And so on Saturday morning, the Nara boy walked to the Akimitchi house to pass on the message that cell 8 would be training at field seven today at 9 o'clock sharp.

Then he walked in the opposite direction to Ino's house. When he knocked on the door, he was greeted by Mrs. Yamanaka, who looked as if she were in the process of making breakfast. She wiped her hands on her apron and greeted Shikamaru warmly, inviting him inside for a bite to eat. He declined, but sat at the kitchen table. Ino was no where to be seen. She was most likely sleeping in until noon at least like any sane person would be. Or like any insane person who stayed up to obscene hours partying and fooling around.

He sighed as the smell of breakfast wafted to his nose. For some reason it always made him sleepy, as if his body remembered that it wanted to be sleeping through the first meal of the day. Before he knew it, his eyelids were drooping, and it became a trying task to remain conscious. Mrs. Yamanaka was not helping either; her persistent superfluous chatter was a nice constant lull melting with the sounds of frying and chopping. Dimly, Shikamaru had a vision of Chouji standing alone and bemused in the center of the training field while he slept cozily at the Yamanaka kitchen table.

"…Ino back." Shikamaru's eyes opened a troublesome fraction.

"What was that?"

"Ino. I thought she would have come back with you. Did you just arrive at the village this morning? You never know with missions that involve travel anymore, they can get so unexpectedly prolonged." She gave a little knowing sigh and started to mold rice balls in her hands with quick, skillful pats. "Since you got back this morning, I don't suppose you know what happened to Kuroku-san's daughter, it just happened a few days ago…" Shikamaru disliked gossip more than he disliked repeating himself. But that wasn't why he interrupted. He didn't need to be a genius to know something wasn't quite right.

"What was that?" He asked, sitting up straight and gave his full attention to the woman across the room. Mrs. Yamanaka gave him a half-glance without pausing with her rice balls.

"About Kuroku-san?"

"No, before that-"

They were interrupted as Mr. Yamanaka came into the kitchen, yawning loudly.

"I thought I heard someone come in," he said, winking at Shikamaru as he kissed his wife on the cheek. "Is Ino back yet?"

Shikamaru took up slowly. "Hasn't Ino been home all this time?" He looked from Inoichi's face to his wife's, trying to ignore the ice forming inside of him.

They both saw the look in his eyes and froze.

"What did you say?"

---

Tsunade rubbed her temples. It was going to be a long day. A really long day. She just knew it.

She's pushing sixty for chrissakes, and she's had more than her fair share of long days. She's got a vague feeling that this one might take the cake.

It seemed like the man in front of her desk had given up his frantic begging and finally broke down into dry sobs. Tsunade's fingers rested on the sake hidden inside of her desk drawer, and it took a lot of willpower not to take a swig right here and now. The man sank to his knees, and she let him weep.

It wasn't as if she didn't have any compassion for him, that wasn't it. She was not a cruel Hokage. She had just witnessed this sort of thing far too many times to count. She didn't have the goddamn _energy_ to get all worked up every time. This sort of thing can and does happen to shinobi every minute of every day. In the academy, children are taught to accept this basic rule of war; of life. _Shit happens_. However, nothing can ever really prepare you for it. A memory pushes up through her consciousness like vomit and takes hold of her. There was a time when she was the grief-stricken man in front of her. She can remember what the first time felt like perfectly. It makes her sick. It makes her feel so goddamn old.

She smiles grimly and allows her assistant Shizune to help the man to his feet, offering him tissues and worthless condolences.

"I'm very sorry, Miyojin-san. I'm very sorry for your loss." At this, the man's sorrowful face twisted into helpless rage.

"Why does it have to be a _loss_? She's only _missing_! All we have to do is get up off of our asses and _find her_…Kimira-dono!" He whispered his lover's name coarsely as he sank to his knees once more. His body limp; silent, angry, wounded tears ran down his face. Tsunade did not argue and let him sit in peace while she rubbed her temples again. Shizune hovered by the man, unsure how to even attempt consoling him.

The tense silence of the room was quickly disturbed, however, when the office door burst open without her visitor even giving her the courtesy of knocking first. She began to wonder, not for the first time, if respect for the Hokage died out with Sarutobi. Tsunade stood up, opening her mouth to let whomever it was _really have it_. She never did though. Not because she recognized the people, but the look in their eyes.

"Hokage-sama, Yamanaka Ino-san has been missing for over two weeks," Inoichi explained, while giving a short bow; remembering his place and who he was about to ask for help. "We need a tracker…shinobi backup…I have no idea where my daughter is."

Tsunade let this news sink in for a moment. She let her visitors devise a search with her assistant. She let them think they had hope for a few moments. She sat down in her chair, folding her hands together neatly on the desk in front of her, letting her face become straight, blank, calm.

"She is not the first Kunoichi to go missing."

"You think we don't know that? We are all shinobi!" Mrs. Yamanaka said coldly. Her husband gave her a warning look and she turned her gaze to the floor. "Please…she has been…uncontrollable lately…she might have gotten into some trouble…or she might have just run away…don't all teenagers consider it at some point? We've searched all of Konoha for days…"

Tsunade's eyebrows narrowed. "If you'll allow me to finish…" The room was silent.

"She is not the first Kunoichi to go missing in Konoha the past few weeks. In fact there has been an alarming rate. Because of the sheer number and similar identities, it is beginning to be suspected that these disappearances may or may not be linked.

"How many?" Said Shikamaru.

"Seven the past three weeks. Not including this man's fiancée or Ino." She nodded to the man kneeling on the floor. "If things are as bad as some might believe, because if these disappearances are indeed connected, the perpetrator is very skilled; I don't think we will ever find Ino-or anyone else without a great deal of difficulty."

The room was silent as the news sank in with difficulty.


End file.
